That's the needle clamp that fell off. Slip it back into place (make sure you have the 'front' facing forward) and while holding it with your left hand, use the screwdriver in your right hand to tighten the needle clamp screw (it's black in your picture.) To tighten, turn it clockwise. Do not apply strong force when loosening or tightening the needle clamp screw, otherwise certain parts of the sewing machine may be damaged.
Check your manual for 'Needle Clamp Screw'.
My Brother cs6000 manual has detailed instructions for installing the needle clamp.
HTH
Cathy

Thanks for your response! However, in my case, tightening the needle clamp screw only secures the needle in place, and the whole piece will just fall right off of the bar as soon as I try to sew again (hence the photo). In the photo, the needle stays secure in the clamp, but the clamp itself won't stay attached to the "driver bar" (see where I point to in the photo). Hope this helps clarify ;) thanks!

Hi, did you ever get your machine fixed? Mine just did the same thing. I tried calling Brother company but I could not explain the problem to them so that I could get help.

amandalynn, grammylady or person who knows,

Did you get a fix for your machines? My needle bar keeps falling off and it's driving me nuts.

How do you fix it or make it stay on? Do I need to buy a new needle bar (which holds the needle to the machine's driver mechanism)?

Thanks in advance,

Sheila

After a little searching online for fixes, is it the thread guide that I need to replace in order for the needle bar/needle shaft/needle holder mechanism to stay on?

It seems the thread guide pin creates the tension for the needle bar to stay on the shaft driver.

Ok, this problem, I think, just happened to me too. Since there's nothing in the manual, I can't figure out where the squiggly piece of mtal goes. I think it holds the thread in place, but when the whole needle bar fell off, it fell out too and now I can't figure out how it goes back in.

Thanks!

This has happened to me too. I put the squiggly thing in but it still falls off.

I was having the same problem and couldn't figure out how to keep the needle bar from falling off. I was led to this forum and the explanation posted by "mocroft" explains the problem. There is a hole directly above the needle tightening screw, which is actually an "inset" screw with a hole in it. I used a tiny allen wrench and unscrewed it slightly. I slid the squiggly thing, pointed up, through the needle assembly and then slid the needle assembly in place. While holding it in place from the bottom, I then screwed in the small screw above the needle tightening screw. This tightened the assembly and now it does not fall off anymore. I hope that this is helpful and not too confusing.

OH nooooooooo. My whole needle part and squiggly part just fell of my BabyLock Creative Pro. I am in the midst of a project and this puts me at a standstill. I've tried reassembling it, but it continues to just fall off. I pass the repair on to my husband. He can fix anything! : )

Thanks to the advise here I managed to fix mine. :)

The needle bar thread guide for Brother 2800D is broke or bent and tries to fray my thread. Is there a place I can get a replacement? It will sew maybe 100 - 150 stitches before it eats the thread.

http://www.sewingpartsonline.com/needle-bar-thread-guide-babylock-brother-xa1851000.aspx Sewingpartsonline has it for $6.99. Said to fit all Brother machines, but my search was for 2800 and got this. They are great to deal with & ship really fast. I have ordered from them before.

Hi, can someone help me figure out how to put the squiggly pin in place? My needle will not stay in the needle bar either. I just acquired a brother xl5252 machine. Thank you.

alyangel63 and mocroft--helpful. Fixed my problem with the needle shaft clamp. I was able to use a small screwdriver from an eyeglass repair kit. Thank you.

Can confirm it's the loose black set screw that causes the assembly to fall off. Of course I didn't have any allen wrenches, if you do its a quick fix. I had to get a little creative and was able to use my thread cutters to tighten it up.

Wow if this many of you are having this problem,i wonder if anyone has notified brother of the problem.If so they should be working on a solution to the problem.I have a brother serger,and it came with an allen wrench to remove and replace the needles.it also has a very good storage place on the machine door to store the allen wrench.Thank goodness.Hopefully they will come up with a solution for all of you that are having these problems.That would frustrate the heck out of me!!

found this online. https://www.brothermachines.com/product_images/NBCS_150A.jpg

Help!! My needle mount has come off as well. Brother was no help and directed me to a service center more than an hour away which is too far for me. Any tips on what size screwdriver or Allen wrench to use for the tiny inset screw??

mocroft and Caribbean Queen, thank you both so much! Your links made it immediately clear and I was able to fix the problem. Hurrah for community.

I have the same problem a couple of times a year. The advice here helped me initially, and then again when I had forgotten the solution. Thanks for very clear info. Also, the hex key size needed is 5/64. I now have one taped to my white board with the note: "Use this when needle mount comes off again. Look for inset screw." Seeing that note will also help me to periodically check and tighten that screw. The first hint of trouble is when the needle eye is no longer facing absolutely forward, no matter how much you tighten the black screw. IMMEDIATELY tighten the inset hex screw!

I just bought a brother machine from goodwill that had the same problem. Apparently, that was the reason the previous owner abandoned the machine.

Thanks to everyone for their help and input. Apparently this is a serious design flaw with Brother machines!

After reading through the posts above, I was still not completely clear on the assembly of the thread guide to the needle clamp assembly. It may be because I had no previous experience with the machine, but I was able to figure it out. If it will help anyone, I'll explain how:

First position the needle assembly with the black screw (needle clamp screw) to the right. The needle bar thread guide (aka squigly metal thing) has a straight section and a loop section. Insert the straight section into the bottom of the needle clamp in the small slot directly under the hex screw (the screw that is imbedded just above the black clamp screw), and push the thread guide wire up as far as it will go. The loop section will now be at the bottom of the needle clamp and creates a loop over the slot that the needle is inserted to. Now insert your needle and slide the the needle clamp assembly onto the presser bar. If it does not slide up (as mine didn't) loosen the hex screw with a hex drive (I used size 3/32). Once you are able to slide it up into position, tighten the hex screw and the black needle clamp screw. This worked for me and the machine is running great!

Best of luck.

Here is a link to the brother manual that identifies parts on page 8.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/B1dzfyluFLS.pdf

Thank you so much - you saved me!!!

Thank you mocroft and others. Was going to abandon project in a huff - it's a Sunday in Shropshire, UK and can't even buy a new machine if I wanted to. Now, using my mini-screwdrivers, have fixed box of trouble to the needle bar. Great forum. x

Omg this thread is a lifesaver. My needle casing fell off in the middle of making my daughter a baby quilt. I was bawling thinking I broke my machine. I was able to find an Allen wrench in the hubbys toolbox that fit. Fingers crossed I can get the quilt done.

Needle broke and now the replacement needle won’t stay in. the screw that tightens it doesn’t Why is this

I just got my brothers sewing/embroidery machine and already needle broke now the shaft won’t come up to replace needle help plz

Usually when shaft is "frozen," it can be attributed to a problem in the bobbin area. Take out bobbin and plate and brush and vacuum out any bits of needle and lint that might be stuck in there.